WASHINGTON TIMESDespite promises after Parkland shooting, gun control fails to become pivotal issue in midterms

Gun control groups are on track to outspend the National Rifle Association in federal races for the first time in years, yet even post-Parkland they’re struggling to make headway in this year’s midterm elections.

Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund is among the largest last-minute spenders in the race between Republican U.S. Rep Mike Coffman and Democratic challenger Jason Crow.

WHYYDelaware’s bump stock ban to take effect after turn-in events

In June, Delaware lawmakers decided to ban bump stock possession, adding the devices to a list of outlawed weapons and items including sawed-off shotguns and silencers. As part of that legislation, the state will spend up to $15,000 overall to buy bump stocks and trigger cranks from residents who owned them before the ban. The state is offering $100 per bump stock and $15 for a trigger crank. Bump stocks advertised for sale online are going for as low as $69.

NEWSNRA Endorses Mike Dunleavy for Governor of Alaska

NRA has endorsed Mike Dunleavy for governor of Alaska and encourages all members, gun owners, and sportsmen in Alaska to vote for Mike Dunleavy this month.

The North Dakota Democratic Party is discouraging hunters from voting in the upcoming election, claiming they could lose their out-of-state hunting licenses if they do so.

NEWSA Matter of Contempt: The Government’s Information on Bill C-71

A few days ago, the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs began its investigation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and “contempt of parliament.” The hearing arises out of information the RCMP – the government agency responsible for firearm licensing, registration, and classification – had posted online at its Canadian Firearms Program (CFP) website regarding Bill C-71. Bill C-71, a gun control measure, was introduced on March 30 and includes a proposed reclassification of certain guns, CZ 858 and Swiss Arms (SA) rifles, from “non-restricted” or “restricted” to “prohibited” firearms. This change would affect thousands of Canadian gun owners who currently lawfully possess such guns. As of early November, Bill C-71 has not been passed.

During a recent segment on ABC’s The View, Stacey Abrams reiterated her support for a ban on commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms. During an interview with the candidate, host Meghan McCain, daughter of longtime U.S. Senator John McCain, asked Abrams, You have been endorsed by Everytown, which is an anti-gun organization. Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun group as well. You say you are proud to have an ‘F’ rating from the NRA. Michael Bloomberg and others like him, in the wake of what happened in Pittsburgh, support taking away the AR-15, which is the most popular rifle in America, away from people. Do you, like Everytown, support banning the AR-15?

In the last decade, gun control groups have tried to get more sophisticated with how they market their unpopular ideas. Some gun control advocates have gone so far as to partner with high-profile public relations firms to create messaging guides for their anti-gun allies The overarching aim of these efforts is to obscure the gun control movement’s radical goals in order to appeal to a wider swath of the electorate.

NEWSNRA-Supported Case Could Soon be Taken Up by the US Supreme Court

What if you lived in a major metropolitan area that said you were free to practice the religion of your choice while within its jurisdiction, but in order to worship outside of that jurisdiction, you were required to first ask permission? And what if that permission was rarely granted? Would you feel like your right to exercise the religion of your choice is still protected? Now imagine you are a newspaper publisher in that same city. You are allowed to distribute your articles within that jurisdiction without any restrictions against editorial content, but if you want to send any copies outside the boundaries of the city, each issue must be submitted for review by city officials who may or may not deem it suitable to be read outside the confines of their control. Is that still free speech and a free press?

TENNESSEANBloomberg Super PAC plows $29.5 million to support Democrats in House races

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's political action committee has made a last minute injection of $29.5 million in campaign advertising trying to help Democrats in key House races.

Josh Hawley, the Republican Senate hopeful in Missouri, has been targeted by an anonymous and illegal campaign mailer, the second such incident to emerge targeting GOP hopefuls in the run-up to the midterms.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWSWhere's Andrew? Cuomo's four challengers debate without him

Each of the four candidates also made it clear they have little interest in reviving a part of Cuomo’s SAFE Act gun control law that has yet to be implemented — the creation of an ammunition database by state police.

On Monday, the Washington Post published an editorial about last Saturday’s heinous crime at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. The piece was titled “We can stop this American carnage.” True to form, the Post blamed the event not on the actions of a hateful and manifestly evil individual but on a supposed need for more federal gun control.

NEWSSurprise: Physician Group Rehashes Same Tired Gun Control Policies

Everyone has hobbies. Some doctors’ collective hobby is opining on firearms policy. Half of the articles in the “Latest from Annals” email from the Annals of Internal Medicine journal are related to firearms. The most prominent of these articles is a position paper written by the American College of Physicians (ACP) that expands upon their 2014 paper and reflects every anti-gunner’s public policy wish list, save for the outsized role given to doctors. The ACP’s policy recommendations include a ban on semiautomatic firearms and “high” (read: standard) capacity magazines, licensing and permitting requirements, improved reporting to NICS, restrictions on concealed carry, and so on. None of the ACP’s policy recommendations focus on law enforcement or the importance of identifying, prosecuting, and incarcerating criminals. As Philip J. Cook notes in his commentary, “It is unfortunate that the public health community has not recognized the importance of policing gun violence as a key aspect of prevention.”

NEWSMissing the Marx: Gun Control’s Future is … Communism?

After every high profile crime committed with a firearm of any sort, there are always calls for gun control. But one particular proposal this week managed to distinguish itself amid the usual din, if only for its audacity and what it reveals about the mindset of people who wish to disarm their fellow Americans.

In an odd turn, just before Halloween one prominent gun control group briefly got out of costume. When former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and husband Mark Kelly launched Americans for Responsible Solutions (now named Giffords) in early 2013, gun owners were assured that the group sought moderate “common-sense solutions” to gun violence. The group admonished NRA for not working to “to find the balance between our rights” and gun regulation. Giffords and Kelly explained, “we don't want to take away your guns any more than we want to give up the two guns we have locked in a safe at home.”

With anti-gun Democrats back in control of the House of Representatives come January, now is the time to prepare for a new onslaught on the Second Amendment. Emboldened by the mere thought of controlling the lower chamber, we are already seeing the warning signs of what will come for the next two years. First, virtually all Democrat leadership positions are likely to be filled by long-time anti-gun zealots, such as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Similarly, key committees will surely be chaired by extremists with long histories of supporting any and all legislation designed to diminish the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

NEWS Yes, George Soros is a Gun Grabber

In 2015, billionaire gun control financier and potential 2020 presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg financed the creation of the anti-gun propaganda outlet The Trace. Ever grateful for their wealthy benefactor’s unfettered largesse, the Bloomberg advocacy group now views less-profligate anti-gun tycoons as irrelevant to gun control lobby’s efforts. In a piece titled, “George Soros Is Not the Gun Grabber the NRA Says He Is,” The Trace sets out to rehabilitate the anti-gun image of the Hungarian-born billionaire and his political apparatus, Open Society Foundations.

Bad ideas have a way of recurring within gun control circles. And when they do, they are usually accompanied by self-congratulatory rhetoric about their supposedly “innovative” and “forward-thinking” nature. That was certainly the case this week when Toledo’s Democrat mayor, Wade Kapszukiewicz, announced he would use the City’s firearm and ammunition procurement process to pressure vendors into adopting practices not required by law to restrict “civilian” access to their products. “I’m not saying this is going to eradicate the problem in our nation or even avoid a tragedy in my own city, but just because we can’t do everything doesn’t mean we can do nothing,” he told The Huffington Post, which falsely reported the policy is “the first of its kind in the U.S.”

NEWS Indulgences for Hollywood as Movie Studio Buys Gun Offsets

In 2014, Hollywood movie mogul and fierce NRA critic Harvey Weinstein appeared to acknowledge the movie industry might be able to have a positive impact by reducing its glorification of criminal violence. Weinstein explained, I have to choose movies that aren’t violent or as violent as they used to be… I know for me personally … I can’t continue to do that. The change starts here. It has already. For me, I can’t do it. I can’t make one movie and say this is what I want for my kids and then just go out and be a hypocrite.

NEWS NRA Challenges Constitutional Violations in Initiative 1639

The NRA was joined by the Second Amendment Foundation in filing a lawsuit challenging gun control measures recently passed in Washington ballot initiative I-1639.________________________________________STATE GRASSROOTS ROUND-UP________________________________________

Few Supreme Court justices have been as avowedly opposed to the Second Amendment as John Paul Stevens, who retired from the high court in June 2010. Stevens wrote a lengthy dissent to the landmark decision of District of Columbia v. Heller and to its follow-up, McDonald v. Chicago. He then continued to advocate against those cases even after his retirement, including in a book proposing amendments to the Constitution and in a high-profile editorial published in the New York Times urging repeal of the Second Amendment. Now Stevens is publishing a memoir and has revealed what were by his own account extraordinary efforts to try to thwart the outcome of the Heller decision or at least to limit the scope of the Second Amendment’s individual right.

In a recent piece for the Bangor Daily News ironically titled, “Why banning handguns makes sense,” Associate University of Maine Electrical Engineering Professor George Elliott struggled to argue why the tools of self-defense have no place in civilized society and are unworthy of constitutional protection. Unsurprisingly, some of the academic’s own statements refute his thesis._______________________________________________________________NRA HUNTERS' LEADERSHIP FORUM:________________________________________

David Hogg wants a federal tax on firearms and ammunition. He has repeatedly broached the idea, including multiple times on Twitter, and only sometimes suggests a use for the tax revenue. Hogg’s tweets on a federal gun tax include references to implementing the same sort of licensing and permitting requirements as the government requires to drive a car or funding “gun violence” research.

The U.S.’s republican form of governance is predicated on co-equal branches of government that check and balance each other in order to preserve individual liberty. The system does not work when one branch simply ignores the lawful authority of another branch.

NEWS More Proof That Being a “Celebrity” Does Not Make You Smart

In a November 30 tweet, Tom Arnold, famous for being married to Roseanne Barr and making a few really bad movies, has proven that he knows nothing about guns, gun owners or firearm misuse.

As we’ve noted recently, much research purporting to demonstrate connections between access to guns or right-to-carry laws and increases in crime is seriously flawed. Often it's an attempt to curtail or eliminate Americans’ rights under the Second Amendment rather than unbiased scientific research.

NEWS News Flash: Michael Bloomberg Not a Fan of the First Amendment, Either

Michael Bloomberg, former NYC mayor and billionaire patron of the Nanny State, may be gearing up for the presidential race in 2020. He gave the idea of running as an independent candidate “serious consideration” in 2016, but ultimately decided against it.

NEWS Pittsburgh Mayor Declares Intent to Ban Guns in Violation of State Law

Yesterday, we reported that it was likely that sweeping gun control measures would be proposed in Pittsburgh. Today, Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto held a press conference to propose a trio of anti-gun city ordinances that, if enacted, would constitute a direct violation of Pennsylvania’s state firearms preemption law and Pennsylvania Supreme Court precedent. At the event, Peduto was joined by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, who benefitted from $500,000 in spending from Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety during his 2018 re-election bid, and City Council members Corey O’Connor and Erika Strassburger.

NEWS Misleading Headlines and the Murder Rate

We hear a lot about “fake news.” We regularly see data miscoded and statistics misused. What we have seen several times over the last several months does not really fit any of those categories.

NEWS “This Hollow Display of Security” – Canada’s Liberal Government Presses for Even More Gun Control

Speaking in Montreal this month on the anniversary of the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique tragedy, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed his government’s plans to further restrict legal access to handguns and “assault weapons” and refused to rule out a “full ban” on handguns.

DONATE TO NRA-ILA Become a Partner in Freedom Today… and Receive a Special Gift!

NRA-ILA is now waging a 24/7, 365-days-a-year fight for the survival of our Second Amendment rights. That’s why we hope you’ll consider joining this special community of monthly donors who’ve made it their personal mission to ensure NRA-ILA has the strength to defend our freedom every hour of every day. Learn more about how you can take your Second Amendment leadership to the next level by becoming a Partner in Freedom!________________________________________STATE GRASSROOTS ROUND-UP________________________________________

CaliforniaCalifornia Department of Justice Releases First Set of Proposed Ammunition Sales Regulations

Anti-gun organizations and their sycophants would have you believe that the 2018 midterm elections were a referendum on gun rights. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi “vows to fight” for “bipartisan, common sense” gun control and announced gun control “will be a priority” even before she had secured the Speaker’s gavel. The eagerness to curtail Constitutional rights isn’t limited to Nancy Pelosi; Representative Mike Thompson, head of the Democrats’ “gun violence prevention task force” and incoming Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Representative Jerry Nadler are both on record confirming they’ll push gun control early next year.

NEWS NRA Statement on Bump Fire Stock Rule

This week, the Department of Justice announced that it would soon be releasing a final rule classifying “bump-stock-type-devices” as “machineguns” under the National Firearms Act.

Residents of New York have long been deprived of important rights protected by the Second Amendment. But they gained at least one more option for self-defense last Friday when a federal judge in Brooklyn invalided the state’s 1974 ban on nunchucks, a martial arts weapon immortalized by the late Bruce Lee in a series of iconic films.

During the Christmas of 1914, some French, British, and German soldiers along World War I’s Western Front informally ceased hostilities in order to celebrate the holiday. The truce offered the combatants a brief moment to celebrate their shared humanity amidst the otherwise ghastly conflict.

NEWS HUNTING Twist: American Criticizes UK Shooting Traditions?

Americans are often encouraged by anti-gun politicians to embrace United Kingdom-style gun control. This would entail restrictive gun owner licensing, a near total ban on all handguns (handguns are permitted but heavily restricted in Northern Ireland), a ban on commonly-owned semi-automatic rifles, and a near prohibition on the use of firearms and even non-lethal alternatives for self-defense. Moreover, U.S. gun controllers are egged on in their efforts by the UK press.

Gun controllers frustrated that their federal agenda has been repeatedly rejected by Americans through their elected representatives are seeking to restrict gun rights by way of the private financial system. The goal is to pressure financial services companies into either not doing business with the firearms industry and gun owners or to comprehensively surveille their lawful activity

Treating nice people like criminals isn’t likely to enhance respect for the law.That’s a tough lesson anti-gun officials in New Jersey and Canada are learning now that deadlines are past or nearly arrived for certain newly-enacted gun control measures.

NEWS Shocker: Focusing on Criminals Yields Public Safety Results

Anti-gun organizations want you to believe that the next law, the next restriction on gun rights, the next burden for law-abiding gun owners will be the game-changer Whenever gun control fails – and it always does – the answer is that the effort didn’t go far enough. Researchers grasp for an excuse when they find their preferred gun control laws have no effect on crime.

NEWS Researchers Credit Right to Carry Law With Reduction in Chicago Property Crimes

In July 2013, the Illinois legislature overrode the veto of then-Governor Patrick Quinn to eliminate the state’s status as the last holdout in refusing to issue concealed-carry permits. In moving from “no-issue” to “shall issue,” law-abiding citizens of the Land of Lincoln were finally able to enjoy the Second Amendment rights affirmed in D.C. v. Heller, McDonald v. Chicago, and Moore v. Madigan. Yet, even while benefiting from armed protection at the expense of taxpayers, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel maintained that “gun control is essential,” and that the new concealed carry law would result in an increase in crime.

This week two bills were introduced in Congress to impose so-called “universal” background checks. The bills, H.R. 8 and S. 42, are being misleadingly described as simply requiring background checks on all sales of firearms, but this is just a small part of what these overbroad pieces of legislation would do.

On Wednesday, longtime gun control extremist Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced the latest version of her perennial bid to rid America of its most popular types of rifles, as well as the standard capacity magazines that come with most modern firearms.

NEWS Background Checks: No Impact on Criminals

We have seen a generation of gun-grabbers rise and fall. The new generation of gun-grabbers are pushing for the same tired and baseless policies that won’t so much as inconvenience criminals. We understand the emotional response to violence and the desire to “do something.”

NEWS Media Contagion Effect and Mass Shootings

Writing for Editor & Publisher, freelance journalist Angela Morris asked recently, “Do Journalists Deserve Some Blame for America’s Mass Shootings?” A review of the evidence summarized by Morris should serve as a stark warning for journalists who cover mass shootings.

On August 28, 2018, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau instructed Bill Blair, his minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, to examine the feasibility of “a full ban on handguns and assault weapons in Canada.” A government website established as part of the public consultation process on this issue confirms that “The Prime Minister has publicly committed to examining all options relating to a handgun ban.”

NEWS Monster Mistake, Take Two?

Capitulating to radical, anti-gun extremism has become acceptable to some within the business community in recent years, especially for companies that seem to care little about our rights protected by the U.S. Constitution. We’ve seen banks cave in to small, but vocal groups of gun-ban advocates when they have pledged to restructure how, or even if, they will do business with manufacturers and distributers of completely lawful products. Dick’s Sporting Goods made news when it decided to publicly embrace the anti-gun agenda. Things have not gone so well with that decision. But anti-gun political correctness was raised (or should that be lowered?) to a new level by Feld Entertainment, which owns the touring monster truck show known as Monster Jam.________________________________________STATE GRASSROOTS ROUND-UP________________________________________

On January 8, two bills were introduced in Congress to impose so-called "universal" background checks. The bills, H.R. 8 and S 42, are being misleadingly described as simply requiring background checks on all sales of firearms, but this is just a small part of what these overbroad pieces of legislation would do.

NEWS LEGAL & LEGISLATION Law for Thee But Not for Me: Pittsburgh Officials Defy DA’s Legal Advice in Gun Control Push

Pittsburgh City Council member Corey O’Connor wants local residents to relinquish important aspects of their Second Amendment rights. If they refuse, he would have it cost them their liberty and treasure. But O’Connor himself apparently doesn’t believe he is bound by the law in making this happen, only that it’s permissible because he considers it “the right thing.”

NEWS Who Are the Real Extremists?

NRA is often vilified by the gun-ban community and its supporters in the mainstream, legacy media as an “extremist” organization because of its steadfast defense of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. A simple look into the anti-gun agenda, however, will show that proponents of restriction on a right protected by the U.S. Constitution are the true extremists.________________________________________STATE GRASSROOTS ROUND-UP________________________________________

NEWS LEGAL & LEGISLATION U.S. Supreme Court (Finally) Takes Another Second Amendment Challenge to a Gun Control Law

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a Second Amendment challenge to a gun control law for the first time in nearly 10 years. Arguments in the case will likely be heard during the court’s next term, which starts in October.

On January 8, two bills were introduced in Congress to impose so-called "universal" background checks. The bills, H.R. 8 and S. 42, are being misleadingly described as simply requiring background checks on all sales of firearms, but this is just a small part of what these overbroad pieces of legislation would do.

We have been reporting for some time on efforts by Pittsburgh’s mayor and city council to enact sweeping gun control, despite essentially universal agreement that they are prohibited from doing so by the state’s constitution, statutes, and judicial precedent. To say the errant officials have reacted to the widespread criticism of their plan with defiance and shamelessness is an understatement. This week, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto ratcheted up his grandstanding even further, daring Allegheny County’s anti-gun district attorney to arrest him and claiming to be “highly offended” at the suggestion he can’t simply ignore state law.

NEWS Bloomberg Wants Armed Guards for Alma Mater as He Seeks to Disarm Average Citizens

Far more a statist than a liberal, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg does understand the role armed force can play in protecting human life. He just doesn’t value your life. ________________________________________STATE GRASSROOTS ROUND-UP________________________________________

ArkansasArkansas: Concealed Carry Fee Reduction Legislation on the Move in Both Chambers

On January 8, two bills were introduced in Congress to impose so-called "universal" background checks. The bills, H.R. 8 and S. 42, are being misleadingly described as simply requiring background checks on all sales of firearms, but this is just a small part of what these overbroad pieces of legislation would do.

NRA applauds amicus brief signed by 23 attorneys general in support of Rogers v. Grewal, an NRA-backed Supreme Court case challenging New Jersey's unconstitutional requirements for obtaining a handgun carry permit.

In her bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) has enlisted several former Hillary Clinton staffers. Harris also appears intent on using the failed 2008 and 2016 presidential candidate’s gun control playbook.

NEWS Oklahoma! Musical Producers Take Anti-gun Pandering Clear Up to the Sky

The entertainment industry’s virtue-signaling is as high as an elephant’s eye and it looks like it’s climbing clear up to the sky.________________________________________STATE GRASSROOTS ROUND-UP________________________________________

ArkansasArkansas: House Could Consider Concealed Carry Fee Reduction Next Week

NEWS LEGAL & LEGISLATION House to Move Forward with Ineffective Gun Control Proposals

On Wednesday, gun owners got to see what a Nancy Pelosi controlled Congress looks like as the House Judiciary Committee held its first gun control hearing in nearly a decade. Things went as one would expect.

NEWS Everytown Ignoring Bloomberg’s Findings

We regularly cover anti-gun organizations’ “research” efforts and analyze the claims they make. These claims usually cite a study that excluded important factors, picked a narrow timeframe, or misunderstood some relevant law that undermines the premise.

NEWS GUN LAWS Some Semblance of Law Returns to the Woeful Massachusetts Firearms Licensing Procedure

In early December, NRA-ILA alerted gun owners to an ongoing dispute between the administration of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and the state courts. The governor’s office had advised that it would refuse to comply with lawful court orders to reinstate some Massachusetts residents’ Firearms Identification Cards. Early this week, the Boston Globe reported that the Governor’s office had reversed course and will comply with the court orders, returning Massachusetts to some semblance of a Republican form of government.

Following California’s lead, Hawaiian lawmakers are seeking to use money gleaned from Aloha State taxpayers to fund their anti-gun propaganda efforts. HB 1541 would establish the Hawaii Gun Violence Prevention Center, a public and privately funded “interdisciplinary” effort to analyze “gun-related violence and its prevention.”

The background check bill currently being rushed through the Nevada legislature isn’t the same as the background check initiative voters passed in 2016. The bill also has a weaker exemption for hunters than a similar law in California. That’s according to Dan Reid, western director of the National Rifle Association, who said the NRA is also considering a legal challenge. The Nevada Legislature is currently considering SB143, which would mandate background checks on private-party firearm sales and transfers. In 2016, voters narrowly approved a similar initiative, but it never took effect after the FBI refused to do the background checks.

LEGAL & LEGISLATIONKentucky: Senate Passes Constitutional Carry; On to the House

Today, February 14th, the Kentucky state Senate voted 29-8 to pass Senate Bill 150. SB 150 will now go to the state House of Representatives where it will be referred to the Judiciary Committee for further consideration.

LEGAL & LEGISLATIONArizona: School Pick-Up/Drop-Off Bill Introduced

On February 13th, House Bill 2693 was introduced to improve the ability of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and their families by reducing arbitrary boundaries that leave them defenseless. HB 2693 has not yet been assigned to a committee for further consideration.

Police chiefs who refuse to enforce Washington state's new gun restrictions could be liable if that refusal results in someone buying a gun and committing a crime, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson says.

SPORTS AFIELDHunt It to Save It

It was the last clear, bright day of September, and I went out onto the plains to hunt sage grouse. A brace of the oversized birds makes a limit, but there’s still the kicking up of them among the brush and cactus, and seeing the English cocker run, overjoyed. These are birds to pluck, much too special to skin before eating.

Today, February 14th, the Kentucky state Senate Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection Committee voted 11-1 to approve Senate Bill 150. SB 150 will now go to the full Senate floor for further consideration, where it is expected to receive a vote today.

A bill in the Oklahoma Legislature that would remove licensing and training requirements for handgun owners cleared the state's House of Representatives on Wednesday with mostly Republican support. The bill – House Bill 2597 – passed in a 70-30 vote, with all 24 Democrats in opposition along with a handful of Republicans. A similar bill passed both the House and Senate last year but was vetoed by then-Gov. Mary Fallin over concerns from law enforcement.

On February 13th, the Nevada state Senate voted to pass Senate Bill 143 to criminalize private firearm transfers by a party line vote. SB 143 has been transmitted to the Assembly and referred to the Judiciary Committee where it has been scheduled for a work session tomorrow, February 14th.

NEWSTurning a Right into a Privilege: HR 1112 Gives Feds Unfettered Power to Block Gun Sales

H.R. 8, which would criminalize the private transfer of firearms, has received significant attention from the gun rights community. However, H.R. 1112, which purportedly targets the inappropriately-named “Charleston loophole,” is just as insidious an attack on gun owners. Both bills were passed out of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. H.R. 1112 would eliminate the 3-day safety-valve provision under the federal firearms background check system that prevents the government from enacting an indefinite delay of firearm purchases for law-abiding Americans. All Federal Firearms Licensees (gun dealers) are required to conduct a background check on prospective purchasers to determine if transferring the firearm would violate state or federal law. Under current law, if an FFL initiates a background check, but does not receive a determination from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System within three business days, the FFL may proceed with the firearms transfer. After the three-day window, FBI continues to research the matter that gave rise to an individual’s delay for 90 days after the check was initiated. If it is later determined that the person is prohibited from possessing firearms, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is notified and tasked with retrieving the firearm.

NEWSPolls: No Lasting Support for Gun Control One Year After Parkland

Thursday marked the one year anniversary of the terrible crimes at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. It was a somber occasion, but some media outlets couldn’t contain their glee this week that last year’s horror might finally advance the anti-gun agenda. A CNN headlined heralded “A new era on guns.” “After Parkland, everything is different,” Salon gushed.

NEWSAnother Study Blames Guns, Excludes Reality

A study published in Preventative Medicine by Yu Lu and Jeff R. Temple concludes that “the majority of mental health symptoms examined were not related to gun violence. Instead, access to firearms was the primary culprit.”

On Wednesday, February 20th at 9:00AM, the Arizona state House Committee on Public Safety will be hearing House Bill 2693 to improve the ability of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and their families by reducing arbitrary boundaries that leave them defenseless.

This week, the City Council Members of Los Angeles showed their extreme distain of the Second Amendment, the NRA and our supporters. On February 12, the City Council held the first reading of a proposed ordinance that requires prospective contractors of the City to disclose all contracts with or sponsorship of the National Rifle Association.

WASHINGTON EXAMINERClarence Thomas Retiring from Supreme Court Would be a Big Loss, Even if Replaced by a Conservative

There's been an increasing amount of debate in recent months about whether it would be strategically smart for Justice Clarence Thomas to retire from the Supreme Court after the end of this term.

WASHINGTON EXAMINERIf You’re a Los Angeles City Contractor with Ties to the NRA, You Now Need to Disclose It

Los Angeles sounds like a fun place to live, and not just because it’s a 500-square-mile urinal. The L.A. City Council passed an ordinance this week requiring city contractors to disclose all financial ties, donations, etc., to the National Rifle Association. The Los Angeles Times reports:

The Nancy Pelosi Speaker Era 2.0 continued on Wednesday, Feb. 13, with a markup of H.R 8, the “universal” background checks bill, in the House Judiciary Committee. Following on the heels of last week’s Judiciary Committee hearing, the same committee held a markup on Wednesday, where amendments and corrections to H.R. 8 could be considered. Unfortunately, the markup was clearly designed to allow the anti-gun Democrats who control the Judiciary Committee to grandstand and promote attacks on law-abiding gun owners, rather than consider efforts to combat violent crime.

TOWNHALLSupport For New Restrictions On Firearms Has Taken A Nosedive

This was inevitable. It’s a trend that follows most tragedies of this sort. Support for new gun control regulations dips immensely months after a mass-shooting event.